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Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes here at the Smitten Kitchen? Like, really behind the scenes, watching me cook, listening to me chatter about how the recipe came about and grimacing at my terrible knife skills? Phew, I was hoping you would say no because I’m excruciatingly awkward in person and also on camera and since we all agree, you can just come back in a day or two and we’ll proceed with a new recipe like we always do. Right?

Nope?

Well, if you’re still here, you might be the kind of person who likes today’s kind of crazy news which is that the Food Network has launched a Smitten Kitchen digital series and you can watch the first episode right here:

In this first episode, I am making a wildly inauthentic and only somewhat apologetic spaghetti carbonara pie in the style of this pecorino and black pepper springform-bound one. This one uses crispy pancetta, is heavier on the yolks, just like real carbonara, and then broccoli rabe too, not at all like the real stuff. It’s crunchy and rich and salty and cheesy and because it has greens in it, basically a salad. We inhaled it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m doing one of these. I understand that as an adult with zero responsibilities, hiding under the covers forever is totally within my rights.

Except first I thought it might be fun to show you a little behind-the-scenes because if you’ve been around for a while, you might have heard me repeatedly mention that we live in a small apartment, like, the four of probably only fit because we like each other. What happens when 13 people and 4 cameras and so, so many lights and boxes of equipment arrive?

Which brings me to some very important questions:

Did they put everything back?

Yes. It was magical. I keep trying to tell them to come back because they forgot to put some “stuff” away [namely some toy explosion in the living room from two hours ago] but they’re not buying it.

Do you really have a carpet that looks like a Hungarian sheepdog?

It eats Legos.

You’re changing the subject. How did they talk you into shooting at your apartment?

The conversation over last summer went something like this:
“… And of course, we’ll shoot here.”
“Here? Here? No.”
“I think people want to see where you live.”
“That’s what Instagrams with 3 filters are for.”
“I think people want to see you cook in your kitchen.”
“I think they’ll change their mind once they actually do.”
“We’ll get you hair and makeup.”
“I’m listening…”
“People like a small apartment. It’s cozy.”
“I disagree! I think people like articles about that crazy 250 square-foot house or ‘Look how roomy this couple made their their 300-square foot studio look!’ Do you know what the photos of those perfectly curated rooms never have in them? People! If you saw a person sitting in one of those mini-chairs with their legs reaching across the living room, it would unravel.”
[Everyone looking sideways at each other because I really do ramble on this long in person too.] “I promise we can make it look as un-claustrophobic as possible.”

Your kitchen looks huge.

That’s exactly what I was thinking! And then, and I’m not even kidding that it took me two hours to realize this, they actually moved the fridge! Out of the kitchen! And then they moved this cart I use as a counter to look like it was attached to the real one. And even though the kitchen was no longer actually functional (like, to walk across) all of this space appeared! It makes me fantasize about buying this apartment and gutting the kitchen and putting in one that optimizes the space and light. But that would require living in a 2BR/1BA with two kids forever, and I won’t live that long if I do.

Are you really Muppet pink?

I’ve been meaning to tell you guys… What actually happened was although we filmed this in October, it was one of those freak 93 degree 100% humidity days in NYC. However, all the camera and lights kept blowing fuses in this creaky old building, so we had to turn off the air-conditioners. And then, because I live in a noisy part of a noisy neighborhood and microphones apparently pick up everything, we had to close all the windows. 9 hours later, no blush was needed.

So, are you going to do it again? Will there be more episodes?

Yes! Despite all of my joking around here, it was fun. And this is where you come in! The Food Network has requested four more episodes and while we were going back and forth last week about what recipes we’d use and how we might adjust things when we shoot again, I had a much better idea: let’s ask you!

Tell us: What do you think? What would you like to see more or less of? What kind of recipes would you like to see — for example, would you like to see some longtime archive favorites given a closer look or would you like new recipes in each episode? None of this would happen — or be any fun at all — without you so please weigh in.

* Recipe note: And of course, because this is my real imperfect life and I’m not used to not having recipe headnotes to explain textures and options, I didn’t get to mention that this has more of a crispy, fritter-y lid and less custardy center than the first spaghetti pie we made here. (I see this has already come up in the comments.) You can add 1 additional egg and an additional 1/2 cup milk to the recipe to make it more solid; it will take up to 10 extra minutes in the oven.

I just watched! You look exactly the same (and are just as adorable) as when I saw you during your book tour 4 1/2 years ago. The video was really, really done (although it was kind of funny that for logistical reasons, they had you use a hot plate – as if!).

I’d love to see you make something that’s out of most people’s wheelhouses, like homemade pasta or something…

FUN! Nice to see you (and your moppet!) in action. One note about the video – the sound levels were weird for me; like the music seemed REALLY loud compared to your voiceover, and it was distracting. Also, definitely adding pasta pie of some sort to my meal plan for next week….

Yes ! same here. I couldn’t figure out if I had messed up the sound settings on my computer or what, but the music (trumpets and flutes) was way too loud and distracting.

Congrats on the Food Network episodes! Can’t wait to see more.
(I want to see you do the blue cheese gougere from your cookbook. to see the technique. Mine always looks so horrible, and sometimes the consistency is wrong too-but they are always tasty of course)

Really loved the hints and tips – using the same water for greens and pasta, wrapping the springform pan so it doesn’t leak, etc. – this info was really valuable and made me feel much more confident that I could successfully make this dish. More of this in future videos, please! As others have commented, the music was on the overbearing side, which was a distraction. Awesome job on the first video. I look forward to seeing what you present in your next ones.

Yes to tips and tricks. Your advice came across as completely natural, like chatting with a friend in my kitchen. Any recipes you can give that illustrate a technique would be most welcome. As others have mentioned, it can be difficult to follow some directions without visuals, especially some for doughs that call for folding this over that, turn the dough this way, bring the far corner up over your right hand, stand on your toes, lift your left shoulder, do the hokey pokey and then stick the bread in the oven. Huh?

I’ve found this often happens with many videos when listening and watching on my “inexpensive” Toshiba laptop. I’ve learned to plug in a headset (earbuds, whatever listening device you have that plugs into the computer) permits a much more balanced sound. Maybe that’ll work for some of you who experienced ‘sound track overload”.

Yes! If you make hard things easier on screen, that would be so useful! Think of all the times you hop onto the internet to learn a technique, or improve it. I can read a recipe and follow directions, but I can’t always figure out technique from the written word.

Hey Deb, I first started following you after I received a copy of your cookbook from a good friend. Your writing cracked me up AND the recipes were fail-safe and delicious, especially the salads (both the kale salad and the one with the delicious ginger miso dressing are now on my go-to list). And did I mention I get raves every time I make the whole lemon bars? Anyhoo, just wanted to say that I just watched the carbonara video and you are charming, funny and relatable on camera – so keep those episodes coming!

DEB! I’m so CRAZY excited for you and this new show! Congratulations! You taught me to cook and now you can teach so many more people! Can’t wait to see what’s next! (Also, I have no suggestions. I love it!)

Yay, congratulations! My request would be a gallette – you post so many great recipes for them here but I’ve always been a little intimidated to try one, I’m not sure why. I would love to see you cook one first.

Yes gallette! This pie was something I could just toss a salad alongside and not worry about filling the plate with sides. And I bet leftovers reheat great. Gallettes are my go to for that kind of meal and anything I can stretch into lunches later is a godsend…

Aww it’s so fun seeing you at work in the kitchen! I’ve been reading your blog for years so it’s kind of like when you’ve read a book you love and they make it into a movie and you finally have a face and a voice and a setting to all the lovely things you read. Love it! Nice to finally meet you :) I would watch anything you make but I’ve always been intrigued by your more technical recipes like Challah, which I’m way too intimidated to try but feel like I’m totally missing out. A video tutorial would be awesome!

I love this! Actually, you’re right, when I read the headline, the first thing that popped into my head was whaaaat, I thought she has a tiny kitchen, how does this work? Anyway, I would like to see trusted, all time favourite recipes – but I’ll take whatever is decided! Happy for you, Deb!
X, G.

This is awesome! Would love to see a weekday meal with constituent parts where you sequence things just so (e.g. prep a sauce or topping while something is in the oven) to have everything come together at meal time.

Ummmm I’ve never watched the Food Network in my life but I will be watching your show with giddy glee. Your blog is my absolute go-to and I’m still gunning for someone to buy me your book as I’m literally poor so, yeah! Congratulations!

I love you and am so excited to see/hear you in person. I would like to see an entire Food Network show (NOT Cooking channel) series. I am sure you would be great because you are REAL, not to mention that I love most of what you make, which is more than I can say for anyone except maybe Ina Garten!
I would like it best if you leaned toward healthier stuff, but that’s just me AND I did NOT mean NOT DELICIOUS stuff!
Good luck…have fun and enjoy the ride!

Aww! This is so exciting. It was totally fabulous Deb. Please, please do more episodes. I can’t decide if I want all new recipes or old favorites – I think I would really love just quick meal recipes (like the spaghetti pie above). I always struggle with what I can make for dinner quickly when I get home and have a toddler tagging on me to go play. :)

I love this so much already. The tiny kitchen cooking nightmare is something a lot of us deal with (especially when buying in a major city is unimaginable for a lot of us) and you make it so approachable. Thank you! I would love to see a weeknight menu, as I struggle with making more than one thing for dinner because I’ve used the entirety of my brain capacity on deciding what I want to eat and then we just end up eating broccoli slaw for dinner (which really isn’t a problem as it is always delicious).

I’m so happy for you! Your video was fantastic! I hope you get a regular show on Food Network. Your food is amazing and, just like Ina Garten, your food is always delicious and the recipes actually work. Every time. Great job!

Congrats! That was awesome and totally do-able. I’d love to see you visit some of your most popular dishes and even a few of the “trickier” ones (doughs, pastries, etc). Thank you for all you do! You are one my top cooking inspirations.

I think it’s terrific you’re getting the exposure you deserve. I love your recipes, but rarely cook because I live alone and whatever I make I eat for a week. That doesn’t mean I don’t vicariously enjoy the delicious things you share with us through Smitten Kitchen. One little random point: carbonara does not have milk or cream. That’s alfredo. If you tell me that in order to make it a pie there had to be something to bind it besides the eggs, then I will retreat to my corner. But it can’t be carbonara if it has cream/milk. It can be bacon, egg and cheese pasta pie, or anything else. Just not carbonara. Looking forward to future episodes!

When I fall down the internet-recipe rabbit hole, I literally check your website for cooking videos, knowing full well I won’t find them…But no longer!! I would love to see any baking recipe, but would especially appreciate one tackling the crusts in the slab pies/quiches you make.
Congrats!

Spectacular! Congratulations on a thrilling new gig. I loved hearing your voice, you appeared to be a perfectly reasonable color, and your kitchen looked light and inviting. Also the food. That was also appealing. As for what’s next, I love watching technique. I vote for any kind of recipe where there’s a tricky/unusual/counter-intuitive technique to share.

Food Network please give her a show!! I can’t get enough! The cookbook and the blog are my favorite thing to read. When I’m reading them I keep thinking how I wish I could come over and watch you cook the recipes!! So a show is the next best thing! But, seriously, where can I sign up to be a recipe tester?!?

In 2009, when blogs were still new-ish, and I had snobbily refused to go near them (I’m the daughter of a newspaper editor, and a photojournalist [and food photographer!] myself), I came across yours. I fell in love so quick, and so hard, that I spent hours just happily meandering through your archives.
I am happy to say that 8 years later, I follow only 7 blogs, and yours is still one of them.
I am so happy for you and this show! It is such a delight to see and hear your spunk and warmth on camera, and watching you cook for even just over three minutes was fabulous, relaxing, and helped remind me why I love New York so much (I’m celebrating my 10 years as a New Yorker this month).
I’ve made so many of your recipes over the years (even for a very famous food critic friend, and by the way, his mind was blown as he sat at my tiny mid-century table in my tiny kitchen in my tiny Harlem apartment), and I’ve always been beyond happy with the finished result, even if I did add more cheese than suggested or even necessary…

Thank you for you continuing to share your charm, recipes, family stories, vacations, and so much more with myself and other readers throughout the years. I hope to meet you one day, and maybe share some pie, spaghetti or not.

Call me selfish, but I’d like to see videos of recipes already on your website.. That way we wouldn’t miss out on the nice discussion under each recipe (The crowd at Food Network is far less civil). And more videos of complicated baking projects please!

Aaaaaaah so exciting!! Congrats Deb!! I’m sure I speak for lots of us here when I say I will be watching your episodes religiously! As for recipe suggestions, some of my all time favs of yours definitely include oven ribs, broccoli cheddar soup, old school baked ziti, shakshuka, and double chocolate later cake. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made these (and so many others). Every time I make one of your recipes and it, of course, comes out awesome, I say to husband, “That Smitten sure knows what she’s doing.” Its become a regular saying in our house! Congratulations again!! :)

Congratulations on your new gig! I would love to see a pizza episode- I always struggle with getting it stretched out. I’d also love an episode on pie or galette. Basically anything with dough would be good!

OMG DEB!!! I am so excited for this, for you and for your warmth and beauty which shines (and I mean from within, not the no AC’s turned off kind of shine) through. I’m grateful to FN for talking you into this and you look AH-Mazing on camera and really bring that, “great food is accessible” to this segment staying true to the accessible, authentic genuine caring and style that you bring to your blog – so huge congrats and definitely keep going! As for recipes for further episodes, I’m a vegetarian so just about anything in that vein…but really, I don’t care. I’m just so thrilled to tune in and see you!! Mud pie with twig brittle…LOL!

I made that other spaghetti pie twice already and love it! Can’t wait to try this one.

Congrats on the series! I’m excited. Could you make that sandwich with the fried cheese? I think it was tomato and cheese, but I bet fried cheese would make any sort of sandwich better–maybe a winter riff on that? I really want to make this myself but I feel like I’ll just burn the cheese without a demo. Please? Anyway, best wishes!

This is so cool – I love it!! For future episodes I don’t really have opinions on what should be cooked, but I’d love to hear a little bit more from you about the context / background / what inspired you to try out whatever recipe you are cooking, as you include in your posts. That’s what I enjoy most about reading the blog, and it would be cool to hear you talking about it, “in person.”

Beautiful! You make it look fun (which your recipes are). More, please! Anything you like is great, but I am partial to some of the tired-and-true classics. I’ve been reading your blog for years and everything I’ve made has been delicious. Congratulations on the new adventure!

This is great news! I have been a fan for a long time and have loved so many of your recipes, but when I think about what I’ve reeeeeally loved – tomato sauce with onion and butter plus the chocolate dutch baby recipes come to mind (I made the latter on Saturday and Sunday and want it again asap). Super simple but brilliant – basically using the same ingredients just in easier, more delicious ways. Thanks!

I’m wildly excited to watch this! Your recipes are a sure thing, which is a big deal to me. I would like weeknight recipes too. New or old! I would also like to hear your son’s voice and see your daughter’s hair. Maybe both from the back so they keep their privacy? Don’t mean to sound stalker-ish, I just enjoy the glimpses you share of your life(and your daughter’s hair makes me smile) Congratulations on this new phase of your life!

This is the best news EVER! I would absolutely love to see you make some of the site favorites (ginger fried rice!), and maybe any recipes you’ve received mixed feedback on (not turning out for people) to show what they might be missing!

Oh no it seems like the video is not showing when you want to watch it outside the US! Any solution? Would hate to miss out in it…
Also, funny that they wanted to shoot the video in your apartment to show people where you live, but then they change the kitchen by moving the fridge, so your apartment no longer looks like yours :-)

Thanks for making it available for international viewers also! Just watched it on youtube. And even more curious now about that fridge, cause where, where, where would it normally stand? In front of the door that leads to the deck? But then how do you get on the deck?

I am not American. I loved hearing you talk through the recipe. It made it so much more ‘you’ for me. Do you really cook in that tiny space? Like, do you really make all your stuff in that tiny space? Unbelievable. I’ll never moan about my scungy kitchen again.

I would love for you to have a full season on Food Network!! I watched the video and I really liked it. I love all the tips you throw in while making the carbonara. I think Food Network could use a show like yours —
someone who is a talented cook and knows how to describe flavors and textures, but also mixes in what’s trendy today!

P. S. I am a long time reader and maker of recipes from your blog (and watcher of Food Network cooking shows)!

Love it! This is the perfect length video for me to watch… anything over 5 minutes and I cannot commit. I also think this will be great for my two boys (age 11) who are starting to cook with me, but really only like to commit to short stints in the kitchen as well. Thanks!
Also, I don’t find you awkward on camera at all… very “real” and “relatable”. My only complaint… I always considered you to be older than me based on the amount of information/knowledge you provide on your blog and cookbook… Clearly, that is not true!

This is the BEST. You are a natural and while I adore your writing, it’s even more fun to get a glimpse of you in action. I would love easy, weeknight meals. I have 2 kids and work part time and making dinner is so tough on a tight time frame. I love to cook and bake and while I insist on homemade every night, I just can’t make the kind of meals I used to when we weren’t sticking to a bedtime routine with 2 littles. This dish is going into rotation! Almost all components can be prepped ahead of time – AMEN to that. More please! xo

Congratulations! It is so great to see you cooking and hear your voice (although I second the point about the music overtaking you occasionally ). For future episodes, a vegetarian dish would be great–perhaps those dumplings or the white bean swiss chard pot pies, including the pastry. How long are the episodes going to average?

Congratulations! This is wonderful news and I loved watching this episode. It was the perfect length for a little mid-day break. One comment about the music though – it was really distracting. I think it would be helpful if it was either at a lower volume or less busy. Otherwise, great stuff. As a long time follower (though this might actually be my first comment :O!), I’d love to see some throwback recipes, but I’m interested in new ones too!

I am pretty comfortable in the kitchen but don’t do a lot of meat. I’m totally intimidated at the thought of cutting up a chicken — you have such a great attitude, I think it would be great to have you explain that. (Awesome that they shot in your apartment.. and hilarious that they moved the fridge out of the kitchen.)

Well one I know what I am making for dinner tonight! I always forget about the damn spaghetti pie!!
Two I thought you looked lovely and it was cool to be your BFF for a hot second in your kitchen.
Three I would love to see some tried a true recipes that you already posted with a closer look and maybe a surprise awesome new recipe.
Four thank you for being a shining beacon of hope for moms who work but want to cook bombass meals for their families. I need all the inbtwn pics to get it just right.

Congratulations, this is fantastic! I had to read the headline twice I was convinced I was just imagining that so many of my favourite words were all in the same sentence. Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse behind the scenes. I am so excited for future episodes!!!! Go Deb!

I love this!!! You’re the best. And really not awkward at all on camera! Truly.

Loved curly girl’s cameo, and were those Jacob’s hands making an appearance at the end?

Can’t wait for more! I vote for something involving pie/tart/quiche dough. I always use your recipes for those and would love to see you make them and roll them out to see if I can glean any more tips on making it just that much more perfect.

As for tuning in: What about a combination of here’s a classic recipe/this is an all-time favorite on the SK site as a way to direct newcomers to the archives, then every other episode would be a new recipe?

WOW-sooooo excited for you, me and for all of your many fans!!! I stopped watching FN a few years ago and now you’ve given me the best reason to “tune in”! They made a wise decision…move over Ina and Giada :-)

I never comment but read your blog all the time and bought your book. I make recipes from here a lot and I had to comment finally with congratulations. You really deserve the attention and lots of people deserve your food and philosophy.

This is delightful! And it’s not a single recipe, but I think you should do one on your philosophy and method of brunch-hosting for a crowd. Maybe oven bacon, latkes and that beautiful spinach and mushroom egg-nest casserole thing? The notion of prepping all your brunch stuff in advance and then just magically producing beautiful sheet pans and casserole dishes of deliciousness from the oven as your guests arrive is the best thing I’ve learned from you!

Loved the video and had to watch, even though I’m mostly off dairy and meat and will probably never make the recipe. Although it looks so good I might just have to try it! I would watch any recipe you make but desserts are always my favorite. And vegetables, of course.

Congratulations to you! I always come to your recipes when I want to impress everyone or make the best _______ because you vet out recipes until they are perfect and delicious. I would watch you cook anything, but my all time favorites of yours are your pumpkin cinnamon rolls and gallettes- so, similar to other comments- the breads!

While I congratulate you on this endeavor, I hope you DON’T go over to a full-time show because I’m afraid of how this blog will suffer (or if you’d even have the time to keep it up). I don’t have cable and therefor, no access to most cooking shows, and even if I did, I would rarely watch them because I don’t have the time or inclination. This blog provides something else: a space to get high-quality recipes with enough commentary to know what you’re getting into without needing 30 mins to see the whole process. I know most shows make the recipes available online, but that’s without any context. I love your site because of the features you have been committed to for so long: do-able and delicious recipes for the average home cook, limited and authentic product promotions, a balance between daily and special occasion cooking. I hope those things stay as you move into other ventures.

I agree with the content, and the way FN (IIRC) does not have the match between the video and the clip content. I no longer have TV, and have no intention of paying for one plus cable to get an awful lot of commercials…(I see no need to pay for extra ; ) )
I appreciate the format and content of this blog & have followed you for several years.

When you make a cake would you make the chocolate one with cream cheese peanut butter frosting and chocolate peanut butter glaze?
That was my introduction to smitten kitchen and I made it for my son right before he left for college.

That was my first Smitten Kitchen recipe, too. I made it for my husband’s 30th birthday and again for his 33rd (and probably again for his 36th). I love re-reading your wedding cake posts – they inspire me to try bigger baking projects (though never a wedding cake).

This is soooooooo exciting! I loved watching you in ‘real’ life.
I agree with a lot of the cake comments. It would be super helpful to see how you make any of your cakes, but the cream cheese-peanut butter one is a good choice. I find baking intimidating. Especially when it comes to the finishes.
You could also do one of your galettes. I would love to watch you make them. Pastry never seems to work out well for me.
P.S. I was able to watch this from outside the U.S with no problem.

Wonderful! What fun! I’m just going to suggest some of my favorites . The vegetable gallettes with that unique, amazingly delicious crust. The carmelizwd onion and butternut squash and the zucchini and ricotta fillings. A 2 variations on a theme show.
Then maybe some everyday cakes which are things anyone can actually make in any kitchen in very little time . That’s really part of your style, and charm. Mom’s apple cake, everyday chocolate cake, Bluueberry coffee cake etc etc.
Congratulations!

Ah love you on film! It’s great to see a recipe done – makes it seem more achievable. For them making such a big fuss of filming in your apartment we don’t see much besides the counter! Love the slow mo of the egg yolk keke. It would be great if you filmed a faq.. ie how to make meringue, macaroons, etc. – whatever uou get asked the most about. Thanks for sharing. xx

LOVED IT!! So fun and charming.
I think you should pull recipes from the archive that are in season and make those. There’s tons on here that I’ve never made and I’d happily watch you do it.
PS I still want a tutorial on coffee making!

I owe you. Every morning I make my coffee and berate myself for not having uploaded the instructions/photos yet. Please keep reminding me. We are all going to be pros (or, whatever I’m supposed to be) shortly. And thank you.

Loooove this! Let’s make a cake…no, cookies…no, something roasted. The point is whatever you choose for your episodes will be fine with me as I’ve not had an SM fail yet. Congrats on the show and I impatiently await the next one.

How fun to see you in this! I love the longer one (the short one is hard to follow), and the music is a bit too loud. Cannot wait to see the next one! I think at least one should be a cake–one of the ice box ones or some other with an interesting technique, perhaps?

Fantastic. Love that its digital: I’m in the UK and it was very easy to chromecast the youtube clip. Future recipes? Chocolate babka (looks amazing but daunting, so I would love to see you doing it for real), any of your brunch-for-a-crowd recipes, and maybe some of your (past) birthday cakes? And some of drinks to round things off? Anything really. Thanks for asking us!

I am a long time fan and regular reader (since 2009, when you single handedly inspired and taught me to bake – which is the same year I started cooking for a living, and now I bake regularly and happily). I’ve never commented before, but I just want to say the video is awesome! I had hoped you would have some kind of digital or TV series for years! Mazal tov and can’t wait to see more episodes!

I love this, Deb! You are so lovely and charming. Your hair looks fabulous! Please do share your secrets! Do you use hot rollers to get that lovely wave? And fantastic/shiny color, too! Do you highlight, favorite hair products, etc.??

Lol, thank you. I got a blow-out that morning because as nice as the hair/makeup offer was, there were 13 people already in my small apartment and if you go to Drybar, there’s like a 50% chance at any time that Dirty Dancing is playing and those odds are good enough for me. :) [No color, or no color for now, sigh…]

I’ve been reading (and SO MUCH COOKING) from Smitten Kitchen for years because your writing always makes me feel like I’m chatting with a friend over delicious food and life and how to make the two things fit together, and that’s gotten me through so many lonely periods, moving around and switching jobs and things like a good millennial. This was such an absolutely charming extension of that! Super excited to see the rest of the series.

I especially love your recipes that are inspired by your meals out in New York. (Maybe because I need to visit New York more often!) So one idea is to show us how you go from a meal out and recreate it at home.

This is great new Deb! I hope you get your own show! My recommendation would be your butternut squash and caramelized onion gallette, which is my favorite recipe of yours. Also, your chocolate babka is THE BEST!

Deb, thank you! I’m so thrilled to now pair a voice with your writing. My friends and husband all roll their eyes when I talk about my “favorite food blog” read “only resource I use for new recipes”. You’ve never failed me. Now I’ll get to imagine your voice in my head while I’m cooking, for encouragement, you know.

I agree with other commenters that something out of my wheelhouse would be inspiring. While I do turn to your blog for adventure, I do still shy away from things that sound extra involved or tricky.

Yay, Deb! I am so excited for you. I absolutely loved the video and I loved that it was in your tiny kitchen. They were right, the kitchen was the perfect place to shoot. I might recommend to the food network to lighten the music a little. I wanted to hear everything you were saying and I found it a little distracting. I am so excited to see more episodes! Congrats!

Hi Deb, have been following your website for years now. You recipes have fed me, my husband and our two boys (well, the boys since they started eating food) for too long. I have never been the one to comment much on the comment sections but I just want to say thank you in this instance. I can not begin to tell you how much I appreciate your recipes (we have a vegetarian family). They just never fail. Keep up the good work, was great seeing a video of you cooking in your kitchen, You look fabulous! & thank you, again.

I usually *only* comment after I have made one of your recipes (or approximated!), but since you left it all wide open…… After reading all these comments, you have apparently replaced Oprah for guiding the minds of both American and world-wide women! Pretty soon the Onion will be poking fun at you! :) Happy for your success and also would like some shows that include pulling a realistic (yet thrifty) dinner together as well as something more complex, challenging, or daunting (even if it is easy, but no one believes you!).

*My daughter is still ticked that Alex signed her cookbook in Seattle, so many years ago. Thanks to him!

Congratulations Deb! So happy for you. I’d love to see one of your fabulous baking recipes, especially a pie or something else with a crust – because despite all of your sage advice and encouragement on the subject of crust, I still get intimidated and have varying results on the occasion that I attempt to bake a pie. I’ll happily watch whatever you shoot though. Bravo, encore!

Wow! Food Network, huh? Yeah, OK. It’s a good business move–congrats! I did watch your episode, even though I deliberately don’t watch FN. My thought is: more you, less “Food Network”-style editing and filming. The cheese grating cut was a bit over-the-top, for example, and not what I think of when I think of your blog. I enjoyed all the bits of actual Deb. Real life, there? Nah. As for recipes, I also vote a chocolate layer cake. And something on your grill. I’d do recipes from your books, if it was my choice. Recipes you haven’t posted to the site before. Cheers! Enjoy!

So well deserved! Congratulations Deb!! I have followed your blog for a very long time. Love your writing and recipes. I go to your recipe indexes again and again for dinner ideas. Would love to see shows with family dinner recipes. But, love everything you do, so whatever inspires you!!

Make only things that are not for the faint of heart. That is all I ask.

Chocolate, salted-caramel anything, butter anything, etc…

Finally, just a quick question: have you tried caldo verde? There’s a cook in NYC named Olivia (I think that’s her name). I’m not familiar with her blog–I don’t follow her–but one night we were trying to figure out how to use up some collard greens. Enter her Portuguese green soup, aka caldo verde. Rich, amazing, a little heavy on the oil. If YOU tweak it, I know it will go from rich and amazing to tasty and astounding. Do give it a try if you have the time!

I feel like I had a lackluster version of it in Portugal last summer but that it is (I’m sure) amazing many other places. Now that I think of it, this ancient recipe from the archives is definitely a cousin of it, perhaps? Uses Portuguese sausage, too. I would to try a new version, especially when it’s so cold out.

Just took a look at the link you provided. Sweet potato! One of my favorite fall ingredients. We will have to play with this now. Thanks for the suggestion. It’s on the list!

Re: caldo verde…our collard greens stood up well this week in the soup. I suppose we could try spinach, but I just am not a fan of wilted spinach once it gets past wilted and turns into slimy and goopy. Around here, spinach in soup is only perfect for a two-minute time window, sadly.

I found the link to the recipe. Be warned there’s quite a bit of oil involved, and that’s kind of what I’m hoping you have a great tweak for. We had linguica this time (yay, paprika…all that glorious reddish-orange). Here you go:

I’m really confused by all the oil and bacon in this recipe. I am Portuguese and here in coastal New England, we are fed caldo verde from birth. Most here just call it Portuguese Kale Soup. It varies a bit in Portugal – on the mainland it is more blended with very few chunks and very green, whereas in the Azores (where many from my area descend from) the ingredients are kept in big chunks making a hearty soup that’s fantastic in winter. I make my great aunt’s recipe which calls for = Water or chicken stock, but stock made from a ham bone is best. Wide ribbons of kale (curly or lacinto/dinosaur). A few crushed cloves of garlic. Portuguese linguica sliced into coins (I like the extra spicy kind in winter). Potato cut into large chunks. And cannelini beans or white kidney beans. Some people add chopped onion, cabbage, and/or maybe some red pepper flakes to amp up the heat to their liking. If you want a more creamy/hearty soup, mash some of the potato up from the soup and stir it in. :)

Deb – congratulations (I think). A career move like this is wonderful for you. However, very selfishly, I don’t want to see you turn into a product like other food bloggers (cough….) that have so commercialized themselves. One of the many reasons that I follow SK is that you are so very real. A busy woman with a career, a marriage, kids and yes, a tiny kitchen! So pleeeeeezzzeee no SK dinnerware or twee little products, k? Now that I got that off my chest, I’d love to see vids of why you choose certain products, your thoughts on organic vs non organic and cooking chemistry stuff. AND of course those kids – like someone else said, don’t sell out the munchkins but voices and back-turned shots would be awesome. :)

This was MARVELOUS. Huge huge hugest congrats, Deb!! So wonderful to see your airy, lovely kitchen and your even lovelier face and personality — this just made me smile so much. Can’t wait for more episodes. I second the above, it doesn’t matter what you cook, I will watch and will love. Hurray.

Loved it and can’t wait for the next episode! I would vote for new recipes, but my daughter requested that one episode be dedicated to the chocolate babka…so maybe a mix of new and old. I’d definitely focus on ones where the video helps demonstrate technique better than still photos might.

Ooh so exciting! I love how your writing evokes an image, an experience and taste BUT to see it visually is a cool bonus! Of course I love everything you make :) It might be fun to make some of the most popular items on your site on the series because seeing it in person might inspire more people to try and make something that is tried & true but maybe not necessarily in their comfort zone. Sometimes a visual makes it seem more doable.

I loved it and can’t wait for more episodes. This is more like how Food Network used to be – showing real cooks, making real food that I can do at home. And you make my favourite food website so now I have the best of both worlds!

Kudos! I hope you make many more episodes in your tiny and lovely kitchen.

Hooray Deb!! I am so excited for you. I loved this short film. I look forward to seeing more videos of you on Food Network. I’d really love, love to see you with your own program!! Cheers to a job well done!!

I want to see you make Linzer cookies! I’d also love a casserole, since you’re great at pasta bakes, and then probably something with piecrust.

I am so excited! And yes, I totally found myself wondering “how did they fit in her kitchen?” in the middle of the video. I love you for explaining! Behind the scenes of the food conglomerate is fascinating.

I loved the video! I look forward to more! Congratulations! I’d love to see videos of any of your bread recipes, maybe that strudel recipe you posted recently, or any of your cookie recipes. I think it’d be fun and interesting to see those types of recipes demonstrated.

I’m excited to watch! This probably isn’t super helpful, but I’d just like to see a dessert next–a sweet to follow a savory. Maybe a layer cake with frosting? I’d love to hear you talk frosting techniques and I’ve always been so confused about how to handle the cake domes when layering.

Just watched the video. I loved it! You looked so comfortable (the desire to sink out of sight not evident at all!). I loved hearing your voice say the things we’ve been reading all these years. Congratulations!!!

To answer your question, I think the food network shows are currently lacking expertise and real instruction. I would love to see you showing/explaining how to do some of the more complicated recipes you have discussed. Apple strudel anyone? It’s soooo intimidating!

Great job! You looked very confident and comfortable (and not TOO pink, either)! I would love to see you bake ANYTHING, and perhaps talk about the modifications you made in YOUR version of the recipe and why. (That helps ME when I am noodling around with recipes on my own.) I just made your Best Ever Blueberry Muffins yesterday, using our OWN FIRST HARVEST EVER of Meyer lemons (we have a small potted tree on our sun porch and we live in NJ)…of course, with your recipe, they turned out great! (BUT I subbed King Arthur white whole wheat flour in for regular and added more fresh lemon juice to help moisten the tougher grain – but I wasn’t sure if I did it correctly. It needed more time in the oven, also. Just HOW do you figure this stuff out, Deb?) Thank you for an always inspiring source of recipes and kitchen companionship! Good Luck!

This is cute! You did a great job on this video!!! I was not going to do this recipe butI will try it now just because I saw how it’s done. I’d be happy to see all of your recipies on food network or at least the ones I tried and could not get right. Curious to see what you guys choose!

I learned how to cook from a really good home ec teacher in high school (from Sister Beatrice I learned that brownies didn’t have to come from a box and pot roast could be delicious). I got to experiment a lot because my mom worked long hours and was thankful if something edible made it to the table before bedtime. I passed my skills on to my kids, but I know a lot of my kids’ peers (and even their parents) aren’t comfortable in the kitchen. I think if they learned to make simple, yet interesting dishes, they might have the confidence to tackle more complex dishes and feed themselves well. Maybe you could show dishes that people normally go out for even though they’re easy to make at home. I remember standing in the baking aisle asking my kids whether we should make a chocolate ganache or buttercream frosting for the cake we were planning, while next to me was a family choosing what flavor of canned frosting they were going to buy. I’m not a snob, but blech. Frosting is so easy. Please, don’t underestimate thorough explanations. I mean, I’m surprised at what people don’t know about cooking and baking. Could you be everyone’s home ec teacher?

Oh, Deb! This is so great for you! Congratulations and I’m looking forward to more episodes. Weeknight favorites are a great topic, as they make cooking more approachable for people who are intimidated.

This was so great, congratulations! Thought you did a wonderful job and you felt very natural to me. I also loved the length of the video. I was cracking up that you already are cramped for space and someone at FN was like, and yes let’s add this bunch of flowers right up here in your work space! I know I always chop with a glass jar full of water two inches from my left elbow.

I’m kind of excited to see what you pick for your next video as I would never have requested spaghetti pie but after watching you make it, I’m inspired to try it!

Deb, as a longtime fan of your blog I was so excited for you when I read this post! I love the video and can’t wait for more :) As for suggestions, (I’d watch them all regardless) like this recipe, I’ve always been drawn to your blog b/c of your recipes that balance taste and healthiness. You know how to make veggies taste good. So I’d love to keep seeing videos of dinner recipes with veggies done your way, delicious!

1. again: congrats (I added a comment to Lilly’s)
2. could not watch the video from the FN; it just kept looping through the ad, and skipped the actual cooking video which is rather annoying–happily, no problems to watch from your blog
3. will you continue to have the videos posted in your blog (see point #2 : ) )
4. I’m vegetarian, and would love to see either a veg dish or suggestions on how to make a dish meat-free (such as the spag pie) b/c it looks so delish
Thanks for all your dedication to the cause of the home cook and delicious food!

I love it. I’ve been following you for eight years if not longer, and I’ve made so many of your recipes and they’ve all come out well. A favorite is the dijon chicken–yum–but I’d love to see you make that chocolate babka…I don’t have the nerve to try it. (Yeast products don’t work well for me.)

I was so inspired by your video that I made this for dinner tonight! I used 3 egg yolks and 1 1/3 cup of milk since others commented theirs was on the dry side. It was fabulous! I will definitely make it again. Keep the videos coming! Congrats!

I enjoyed that a lot, like your writing – but the background music is overwhelming (as it is in just about everything these.) Any chance of you strong arming them to tone it down for future sessions?
ps I don t cook.

Love this!!!! My vote would be for meals with meat. This was perfect because I got to see pancetta which was intimidating but now I know what to look for and how to cut it up. I live with lots of vegetarians including my husband but I eat meat and so does my two year old, but I don’t get to cook it often so it often feels intimidating. And offering a veggie substitution would be awesome too, like would the carbonara work with mushrooms cooked in butter and salt? Of course I want the meaty version so I would need to make two. I want to go make this right now. Yum.

It would also be fun if they say on the show “pair this with xxxx side dish and xxxx dessert” and then your fans can go look up those recipes too.

Yay! Love that you are going for the cooking show addition. It’s so great!

I loved it and can’t wait to see more of you cooking the recipes. There is something authentic to you. So much better than another blogger’s debut on Food Network a few years ago. I couldn’t watch her anymore after I decided to give her show one more try. I love the fact that it’s in this format too b/c I no longer have cable TV. As for recipes, everything you do is good. I say a mix of your most popular older dishes and your new dishes. Congratulations!!!!!!

OMG!!! THIS IS MAJOR!!!!! I am like beyond thrilled and crazy crazy excited for you!! You are my most trusted and favorite source for recipes, whether it’s a cake, a quick weeknight meal or when I need to entertain! Seriously. I am SO SO HAPPY that you are on a network that started my love for cooking with Michael Chiarello and Sarah Moulton back in 2001. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!! I am over the moon.

I echo what MAI LOWE wrote! You are everything in person that we (I) imagined you to be. (And you obviously had a great crew, too: kudos to everybody!)

As for suggestions: I agree with those requesting demonstrations for the hard stuff, like pie crusts and anything involving yeast.

On a personal level, I have been on a low-carb diet (no wheat/potatoes/rice/corn or sugar) for six months and have slowly lost 25+ pounds. (I do eat sugar and/or drink wine once a week or so.) I have about 40 more to lose, but already I feel wonderful!

So, Deb, I’m wondering if this recipe would work with spiralized zucchini… if I were to dehydrate it as much as possible. Just a thought!

First, congrats. Re, zucchini, okay, maybe. I feel like you might be able to nix a lot of the milk to adjust for the liquid in it and then maybe skip dehydrating it. It might seem in the end more like a zucchini omelet or quiche, not necessarily a deal-breaker..

Oh, my gosh, Deb! I love, love, loved this video! You are so sweet and lovely on camera. You’re like a friend I haven’t really met yet but I always turn to for advice on what to cook for dinner. I would love to see you make a cake with frosting and some dumplings. My husband and step-son both have birthdays coming up and I’ll be doing my first layer cake with frosting. I’ll be using one of your recipes so it would be great to see all that in action.

I love food blogs, but your’s is entirely different from others. Can I know the secret? I have tried most of your recipes, some came out well, yummy to taste. But some recipes did not come that ok for me, maybe I will try better the next time. I would appreciate your efforts to bring up these many different types of foods.

I am SO excited for this– it’s about time! BTW I realized the other day that I’m almost exclusively make recipes either straight from your site or inspired by something you posted, so thank you thank you thank you. My husband thanks you too.

Congratulations! The video was great and you seemed like the same gal on the other end of the blog I have been following for years. I would vote for using archived recipes that are a bit more complicated in the technique aspect.

Congrats! I would love to see videos of recipes of yours, where the comments reflected a number of readers had issues when they made the recipe. I tried making the florentines a few years ago, and they just didn’t work. I would love to see you make them, because I’m sure I could identify where they went wrong for me. And, I second the votes for yeast breads!

Hi Deb,
I’m in Canada and can’t seem to watch any of the foodnetwork videos. Any chance you or someone could throw them on a YouTube channel too?
I would love to see you make one of your famous staples like feta salsa, galettes, moms apple cake…

Deb, can we be sisters?? I love your style and your sense of humor! Do you talk faster when you get nervous? Anyway, I loved the video and I’m looking forward to more. Additional recipe? How about your mom’s famous apple cake?

I think the video only works for those of you who live in the US. I followed the link but it wouldn’t play. I was so looking forward to it too, especially seeing a real deal New York apartment. Too bad :(

Love this format! Thank you for being even more delightful “in person” than I ever imagined! I’m not sure I could even wait to bake this — I’d want to heap it on plates and serve it (or eat it straight out of the mixing bowl)!

Galettes! I have made zillions of the tomato zucchini version- so good in summer with goods from the local farm, and the cabbage one is great, too. and then the blackberry one which is like a huge Danish pastry (fabulous for brunch or holiday breakfast).

Great job on the video- now I can picture (and hear) you when I make your recipes. It’s always a good day when you post!
Peg

That is amazing! I’ve been reading your blog for many years – never commenting, because I feel that I do not have a right to do that, since I suck with capital letters at cooking. And I’m so happy for you!

Deb, i love the video! Please do one where you make home made pizza dough, or your baked French toast, or your cinnamon buns. These are huge favorites at my house for the whole family. Also missing your occasional boozy cocktail recipes of late….maybe one of those just for us grown ups?
Ange from Ottawa, Canada

While I am an ex FN fan and devotee, congratulations on your achievement…very exciting for you!! I agree with the comments about more you and much less of Food Networks over-editing/stylizing. Please do include the recipes on your website with the much appreciated tips, tweaking (updates) and insights…FN is not very user or printer friendly.

You’re a natural on camera; very believable! I’ve made your short rib dinner with mashed parsnips several times from your book. Doing a show on a full dinner with sides for a special occasion would be a nice contrast to a one recipe show. Congratulations on this new venture!

I’m so glad you were up for it! Your writing makes me feel as though you are in the kitchen with me, perched on the stool with a glass of wine, chatting about our kids and how the recipe is progressing and yes, you can help by setting the table. Pick…YOUR favorites, the ones that most make you smile when you cook them!

Phenomenal! This is fantastic! — First that carbonara pie looks stellar! Love the combo of broccoli rabe and pancetta, but the behind the scenes of that shoot are hysterical! Congratulations! You’re a star!

This is fantastic!! I am so happy to finally have an animated person to put with the recipes! You are so warm & funny! As far as future episodes, I would like to see those things that were a triumph for you in terms of technique or recipe refinement…maybe one of your Mother-in-Law’s family dishes or pastries. Those recipes with a backstory are my favorites. Oh, or maybe a restaurant’s signature dish that you make at home. Those grab me too. Congratulations on a great first episode!! Keep ’em coming!!

Love this so much! I’ve basically stopped watching Food Network, got tired of all the competition programming, but now I’ll tune back in! Would love to see pizza making and anything with dough, preferably using whole wheat flour. Thanks Deb you’re the best!!

It’s really not great quality or anything (wobbly, seems veneered on top even if wood inside) but it’s a non-standard size (42″ wide) that fits perfectly in the space we have. If you’re looking for 36″ or 48″ inches, there’s a lot more out there. Anyway, I had one for two years I’d spent more on and it looked wrecked on top so I replaced it last summer with the same but now it costs less. Here’s the link.

I am so happy for you! You are my go to whenever I’m looking for ideas and I love reading your entries and photos….inspiring. When your emails come in late at night, it speaks volumes of the hardwork and dedication you put into your Smitten Kitchen!! I became a sworn smitten kitchen follower when your battles with pie crust perfection in a small hot NYC kitchen translated perfectly to my own in hot humid Miami. Congrats and godspeed! Well deserved recognition!

Nice going. Spaghetti pie came out great. It’s one of our family favorites.
A great recipe you have is the Blueberry Crumb Bars. It’s easy to make, delicious, and good lookin’. Good luck with your future episodes!

Congratulations. Now I can say that a Food Network Star once made my birthday cake. As someone who also has a small kitchen I salute your creativity and good use of space. I just watched an episode of the Rachel Ray show and she had ona chef who felt that Filipino food was what is trending for 2017. I don’t know how you feel about this but I have noticed that over the last week there have been several shows showcasing this cuisine. Lots of luck on your new venture.

I was making your Chicken Chili this morning as this popped up! Congratulations, how exciting to be on Food Network! As for suggestions, Chocolate Babka would look beautiful on screen (not sure how it work in a 4 min video) but I’ve never been able to make a Galette work so that would be my suggestion :)

I have been following your site for some time and love your recipes. If it’s any indication, I began following Pioneer Woman waaaaay before she joined Food Network, same with her cookbook.
You were fabulous, very natural, easy going and give great tips. I like a lot of the cooking shows but it is refreshing someone is so natural…I guess the language of others is natural but it’s neat you don’t have a goofy lingo or pet names for “things”.
My biggest complaint with Food Network is that I wish they gave an option of eliminating their pictures before printing as it wastes my ink. I usually copy and paste but it’s a pain.
Keep up what you are doing, you have a successful combo. Best wishes.
Donna

My first comment ever anywhere:
Go sit down all you other Food Network so-called “stars”. There’s a real star in the firmament now! I’ve loved and made SK’s recipes for years and Deb is wonderful on camera. I’ll be making spaghetti carbonara pie for dinner tomorrow.

loved this! loved seeing you and your baby girl in your apt, as well as all the behind-the-scenes shots and comments. fwiw, your apt looks lovely – we here in nyc feel you :) i’m down for any and all recipes but i suppose if i had my druthers i’d choose to see new recipes on food network.

deb, this is so cool! so happy for you. were those jacob’s hands at the end?

also, i am a pink person too. i cannot imagine being over a stove (or even a single burner, or doing anything at all) in 93 degree a/c and window-free small apartment “weather.” i think you looked fab and i am totally jealous. (i can’t pull that off even with hair and makeup done, haha.)

loved the behind the scenes and am totally with you on the lovely tiny spaces until you see people in them bit. apartment therapy is so guilty of this all the time, in combo with the wide angle lens it makes places look HUGE. then once in a blue moon they’ll do a video with the tenants and i’m instantly less jelly and have snapped back into reality.

can’t think of anything in particular i’d vote for in terms of future episodes, but probably something that involves dough and/or folding, i.e. something that’s infinitely more helpful to see someone do rather than to read. pizza, wontons, fancier cookies or pies, etc. but i also understand if that’s way too stressful to do in front of people :) either way, congrats and i’ll be watching! (…that sounded creepy, lol. you know what i mean.)

I vote for world peace cookies on an episode—I have tried the recipe so many times and my cookies never ever turn out right–and definitely not the transformative cookies that they are touted to be. So clearly I’m doing something wrong-would love to see these made!

I’ve clicked on the Food Network link to watch your video, but the only video that played was the commercial – no option to select your video. Could this be because I’m trying to watch from CANADA, or is there something wrong with the Food Network site?? I’ve been able to watch Food Network videos before? Would love to see you in action!

Congratulations! Loved the segment and your teevee presence. I’m with those who found the music distracting. Not only too loud but just BAD — it’s like the music supervisor thought, “She’s in New York, so we’ll try to recreate the Sex and the City theme song!” I don’t see the need for music throughout, anyway; it’s not a 30-second interstitial but rather a substantial mini-segment.

Such nice feel to the whole video. The flowers next to you really add some charm. I never have flowers in my kitchen…maybe I should! Any tips you give that help the person watching to help understand how and why are, to me, the most important part. So good to see you and, even though some are wary of it, your darling little one too! Who could resist watching more of your videos? Not me! This must certainly feel like the “golden ticket” after all of the years of hard work you have put into Smitten. So happy for you! Mazel tov!

I thought the video was great! I always enjoy watching a cook be hands-on with a recipe. I thought the camera angles were well done. And it was nice but it was in your own kitchen because it reminds me a kitchen does not have to be perfect in order to enjoy cooking in it. My kitchen is rather awkwardly setup.

I have no preference any other type of recipe you’d like to do in the future. I’m sure I would be happy with any of them.

Congratulations Deb. You have a natural presence for TV and a great voice to listlen to and who could forget the great food you create. I loved the first episode you posted. I am even going to make. If you need ideas for future episodes, I would love to see your pistachio layer cake. I just love that recipe. It is the best cake I have ever made.

I watched a second time and have one more short comment, not to seem critical at all, but do you realize you go from “we should do this and we should do that” to “now I am going to…”. I, personally think you should always stick with the “I” form, in other words, say it in the first person. Otherwise, the language can seem stilted. Just a thought for the future, which looks very bright!

First of all, congrats! It’s so great that you’re making moves in the food world, and I’m happy you have that opportunity.

Can I be honest, though, if I’m nice about it? Since you asked us for our input? I love your blog and recipes and will continue to read and make them, but I probably won’t be watching your show. It has nothing to do with you! When I visit food blogs, I come because my day needs a slow-down; I like to imagine I’m having a relaxed conversation with the writer over coffee. A show is often very much the opposite of that; it feels fast and harried and a little shouty. For a lot of people, this is an additional way to appreciate your space, and that’s wonderful. It’s just not personally my relationship with food. I’m not much of a Food Network fan for this reason: their shows feel very glossed and loud and impersonal, which is so the opposite of your site. When I read this post I was a little surprised to see Smitten Kitchen going in this direction.

But! This is all just one person’s opinion; SK is your site and it’s lovely that you are taking a new direction with it. Congrats again, and know that I will still be reading and cooking, even if I’m not watching :)

Browning butter.
And then how much to cool it before using it in cookies so they are not greasy.
Super strange request, perhaps, but I do not have the knack of it quite yet, and it’s something that I’d like to see how you do in real time.

Congratulations!! So well-deserved, from a long, long time reader. As for future recipes for the show, I would like to see some with tricky techniques, the kind where I go “huh?” and scratch my head while reading them. Like, how do you roll cinnamon rolls just right or fold a dumpling so that the filling doesn’t come out in the broth, etc.

I really enjoyed this and hope you will include links to future episodes. I’d like to see how you develop a recipe — where you start, the mistakes you make and how you decide when a recipe is finished.

Congrats! I can’t wait for more episodes, I’ve always thought you should have your own show, even with the rambling and a little awkwardness! I feel like you come across as a real down to earth person and less like a personality that has been made up for a show.

Yay Deb!!!!!!!! That video was so great!! I have to say, I loved seeing you cook!! But I also always love your ramblings on this site! Congratulations to you and yours on this total awesomeness! I would love to see some of your cake constructions (Btw, I tell friends and family to pick a cake from your list for their birthday and I will make it for them; it’s been really fun!) Pretty much, anything you want to make will most definitely intrigue me. Go You! :)

Deb – The video was so great!! I just loved seeing you, in your full adorableness, in action! You know that fantastic party game “Celebrity Best Friend”? No? Oh, well that might be because my friends and I made it up, but anyway it’s super fun! And this video is going to shoot you right to the top of The Celebrity Best Friend list!! Spaghetti all Carbonara would definitely be my ultimate final meal of all time. But to have taken all the components, and made it PORTABLE by baking it into a cake, well…I mean that is worthy of some kind of peace prize. Not that I haven’t eaten regular Spaghetti all Carbonara with my hands while traveling in a car before, but this just makes it so much easier! Wedges!!!

I can’t wait for more episodes!! My suggestion would be that incredible looking Thomas Keller-like deep dish, high walled, mushroom quiche that I’ve looked at so many times on SK, swearing that this will be the time I actually attempt it, only to back down in fear and end up reaching for a regular old pie dish. I need to see you in action bc I just haven’t found the guts to conquer that crust with all its creamy filling. Or the chocolate babka. Both of those recipes just intimidate the crap out of me!!

Yay! This was fun! I’d love to see you demonstrate old recipes from the site that people found especially difficult. Maybe some of the breads, or whatever the most people commented on? Especially crepes, I’d love to see that! The other reason I’d like old recipes done is that I am much more likely to see one of your new recipes if it is posted here, as opposed to linked to from here, to like Food Network or a magazine. In other words, I would be less likely to make one of your new recipes if it did not show up on this site due to copywrite or sharing rules. Thanks! Also, I thought the music was great.

Yay congrats Deb! So excited for you :) Can’t wait for more recipe videos! I agree with many previous commenters that I’d love to see more technically challenging or unusual recipes. Your photos helps SO MUCH, but having video for a particular style of cutting meat, rolling dough, etc would help a ton. This one may be easy for many people, but I once murdered your broccoli parm fritter recipe (they wouldn’t stay together) and haven’t tried it since – would love to see a demo!

Oh my goodness. I am thrilled by this news and just texted all of my friends saying, “Did you see the news about Deb’s (yes, I like to pretend we are friends) new digital web series?!?”

You are a dream in front of the camera. I cannot wait for the next episode. I would watch you make….um…..(what is the food version of paint drying on a wall?) KD from a box. So you do you. We’ll all be here. I’m certain of it.

The video was fantastic and as a LONG time fan of food network (i.e. if the tv is on it’s on food network) I would enjoy watching your show! Yours is one of my favorite websites and it’s strictly because each time I try one of your recipes it turns out fantastic (I’m a harsh critic and cannot easily say that with many) – that’s how I rate and continue to check out websites. Great job!

Loved the video and seeing you in person! Definitely want more – I don’t care what you cook. I do want to make this. My only comment was – look at the camera. I think we all would like to think you are talking directly to us! Love the setting. What could be better than someone’s own kitchen instead of a studio setup. More please!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! on the FN gig – I really hope they discover just how hungry we all are for real folks like you to show us how to cook in real life situations. I digress …
Suggestions for you: Apple Slab Pie (because it made me a Thanksgiving hero last year), any breakfast casserole, a wedding cake (that would be pretty awesome to do in four minutes!), or something chocolate (for the Mr.). This is going to be great!

Oh my gosh!!! I LOVED watching this! So fun! Also wanting to make this now! Good thing I already have a lasagna in the oven, otherwise I would be desperately raiding my fridge to see if I have the ingredients RIGHT NOW (which I don’t)

Deb, that episode was fabulous! I loved it. I could go on and on about how excited I am to see the next one, but I’m going to try to answer the questions you asked. The only suggestion I would make is to look at the camera so that it feels as if you’re talking to US. Other than that, perfect, sweet and relatable. As far as recipes go, I would prefer maybe 2/3 of the recipes be new ones and 1/3 be the some of the favorite classics. If you’re asking…I love anything with cheese, pasta, salty meats, more cheese…oh, and desserts. I LOVE your desserts. That’s it. You were awesome!!!

OH MY GOD. you are ADORABLE. sorry, i have never seen you live so this was a truly awesome treat, i have loved your site for years and years and years and find your recipes and your writing voice wonderful. BUT this? this whole video thing? I just want more. Please do MORE. also, the recipe looks amazing. KEEP doing this, I don’t really care what, just MORE.

This was even better than I was expecting! It was the perfect combo between a Tasty video (but with an infinitely better recipe) and a more traditional cooking show. As for recipes, I’m a big fan of anything that is a semi-complete meal and reheats well (also the cheaper the better), though I guess that’s just a general statement and not about these videos specifically. Congrats and I’m looking forward to more videos!

So I just went to Food Network to check quickly on an old Barefoot Contessa recipe I use before cooking, dinner, and lo and behold, I saw a link to this on the sidebar. I started shouting to my mom (who just arrived from out of state today and, being retired, has more time to watch Food Network than me), “My favorite blog is on the Food Network! This is amazing! I’ve been following Deb for 10 years and now she’s on the Food Network!” My mom is nearly as excited as me. But she’s still playing a card game with my three oldest children (hence the nearly). So happy for you, and so happy to see you :)

You are gorgeous and this show is a lovely thing. I’m a high school speech and drama coach, and you are doing a wonderful job. Thanks for all you do… so awesome! It is a gift to be able to be yourself on camera.

Oh, my gosh! That’s such a question. Which, of all your remarkable, reliable amazing recipes would I want to watch you make? Okay, probably the pouding chomeur tops the list. And maybe the roasted cauli farro from last week?

The recipe on the FN website doesn’t include the milk in the custard instructions.
…But this is perfect for dinner tomorrow! I happen to have some yolks in the fridge leftover from meringues.
Congratulations!

Speaking of wish, my only recommendation would be to add the written recipe to the bottom of the blog when a video is attached. This way, the reader has the blog, video, and written recipe instructions all in one place.

Did you ever, in your wildest kitchen dreams, think you would wind up on Food Network? Way to go, girl! I’ve been following you for years and you are my “go to” for recipes. I’m so proud of you. xoxoxo

You are adorable. As I’ve read your blog, sometimes I think to myself, she has a successful blog, she’s got an adorable family, amazing talent in the kitchen, a great writer, lives the life in New York, she must be mean. But no, you’re adorable, and sweet, and I’m so happy for you. :)

This felt very true to your blogging style. I winced when I saw the Food Network on here – I had a terrible experience filming with a former star of theirs. The host & producer were very rude to my restaurant staff when they came to feature my kitchen. I’m so glad you had a pleasant go of it! It’s nerve wracking to make happen for sure, but this was so pleasant to watch, Deb.

I love your blog and am a long time reader. Congrats but please don’t become a Food Network sell out. That network has become such trash and makes a mockery of actual chefs with it’s constant stream of reality shows and “cooking competitions”. Keep up the good work but don’t become another corporate puppet.

Another non-fan of Food Network. Seems a bit “Las-Vegas-ish” to me, i.e. garish vs classy. Love this blog, think your presence in the video was wonderful … disliked the “production” feeling, loud music and feeling of jumping around … it made me jumpy! I only watched through because it was you.

I am a HUGE fan of NYTimes food videos. I know those are production with lots of staff and a studio kitchen (Melissa Clark did a “here’s how we do it” that was interesting). But, I also like and learn from many of the DIY you tube-rs so am probably not your target video audience :).

hi! i love this video, and it made me want to make the recipe! One recommendation: list ingredients and amounts in subtitles in the video. A big part of the appeal is the quick demonstration, making the recipe seem very doable. Then having to then click a separate link and write down/print out the ingredients/recipe definitely makes this more of a process. I’d personally prefer to just have it all in one place – the video.

hi deb,
ohhh, that was fun! may i ask a favor: would you please post all the (hopefully many many) upcoming episodes directly on your website, like you did this one? for some reason, when i go on the provided link i get commercial after commercial, but never the video. this always happens on food network, probably because i am watching from europe. however, the link here worked. it would be lovely to see more of those videos. maybe something baked (cookie, cake, pie) next? best of luck on tis new endeavor of yours! you’ll do well, no doubt.
ps: as several people have already commented, the music almost drowned out your voice. surely, clever food network tv people can fiddle with that, right?

Deb! I love this little film- you are fantastic and it is so well done! I would love to see a dessert featured, perhaps one where the difficulty level is a little higher than normal, such as one that requires working with dough. Hand pies, perhaps?

yup, agree music is very annoying. But congratulations, great video and great presentation, Deb.
Definitively do more, I long for these types of food videos. Wish (like Food Network) television would go back to these rather than the stupid competitions that are presently dominating the Food Show Channels.

2. You look adorable on camera (and speaking as a particularly pink person, not that pink in my opinion).

3. Future video thoughts – You’ve brought me a long way with my fear of dough and crusts, but I still have The Fear. Can you please do some videos that really show exactly it looks? How you knead, how craggy or smooth the dough should look, what the size difference is when something is supposed to rest and rize, etc. I’m thinking about a wide range here, so any or all of these: galette dough and pizza dough and pot pie crust and dumplings for stew.

Overall I really liked this video, but I have two suggestions for subsequent ones:
1) As others have noted, the background music is annoying and distracting. I don’t know why everyone thinks we need to fill out every moment of film with music – you’re talking throughout and that plus background sounds are enough. (Also, I know you said they made you close all the windows, but I actually think if you had a bit of that New York soundscape in the background, that would give a way better sense of place than the cheesy music. Maybe they could record the sounds out your window for several minutes and then add that in at a lower volume level when they edit?)
2) The scene when you grated the cheese was confusing – it seemed to come in the middle of other steps at a point when it didn’t belong. I would have put that bit right before you added the cheese to the pasta. So maybe look out in future videos to make sure the steps are coming in a logical place (which may be a difference place than where they fall in the written-down recipe).

I’m torn between being oh so proud of my favorite blogger (I totally knew her when) and terribly anoxious that when FN inevitably picks you up for a bigger run, everything here will change. You have such a unique gift for food education through writing, I hate to think of you leaving us. But the wider audience and acclaim is more than deserved and I’m choosing to just be happy for you. Woot woot!

The recipe on the food network website does not mention adding the milk to the custard mix. If someone had not watched the video and only read the directions this could be missed (although it is included in the ingredients list).
That being said, I can’t wait to try it!

Love it! I have to admit when I first read the title I immediately thought “Boo :-( yet another show I’d love but can’t watch because I don’t have cable TV (let alone, extended channels). So I love that it’s all online!”
I’d love to see some of your galettes (a favourite go-to of mine), or more meals that contain multiple components to pull together (tacos). I’d also love that smashed chickpea sandwich from years ago. It’s one of the staples I introduced my parents to, that has my “chickpea hating” Dad eating it by the spoonful…

I loved your Food TV Network video…you did a great job and made me want to try the recipe tonight. I’ve been reading your blog for years and you are just as lovely in person as I’ve imagined you to be. I’m a baker so i’d love to see some desserts but would be happy to see you reading the phone book — I know I’ll enjoy the recipes that you feature.

A real mom, a real cook, a real life. All of this is great to see in person. You are so brave! I love you for doing this. I had fun watching.
thank you for a good time and a great recipe to top it off.
My congrats to all the others.

Congratulations and yes I would love seeing more! Let me know when to watch and set my DVR. Please make the pink lady cake you have on your website. It’s my all time favorite. It has always been my birthday cake. Congrats again.

For your additional episodes, I suggest the following — in the end, you’ll have a “series” that covers all the bases for home cooks.
1) Weeknight Dinner: Focus on super-easy and quick, yet mind-blowingly delicious
2) Entertaining or Date Night: To pack some serious WOW
3) Vegetarian or Vegan: For the meatless Monday crowd
4) Dessert: Need I say more

I made this tonight for dinner to rave reviews! I used 4 4″ springform pans so everyone got their own (surprisingly easy to swirl perfectly!), and had enough left over to make 2 even mini-er pies in a muffin tin for lunch tomorrow. I added an extra egg, but no extra milk, and they held together beautifully with a perfect custardy center. For the muffin versions, I lined the tins with a slice of prosciutto to make them even more portable for tiny hands and easier to pop out.

I also want to say how beautiful you and your home are in the video~ as someone who has been reading the blog for 8+ years, it was wonderful to hear your voice and exciting that you sound exactly like your informative/funny/inspirational posts. Thanks for all your hard work!

Deb, congrats!!!! You look so cute in the video and it’s nice to hear your voice! I’ve always thought you have the most perfect internet “tone”–relaxed, mildly self-deprecating, down to earth, funny, honest, and obviously so dedicated & passionate about perfecting recipes. It’s great to see that translates to video!

Loved that they filmed in your house! I would love to see how you keep everything clean. In the video you used a lot of dishes – I lost count after about 10. Yet I’m pretty sure your kitchen is cleaner than mine on a regular basis. I would love to see the clean-up as part of the action, if possible! And whatever you choose to make – recipes from your archive or new recipes – I will watch and love. :)

I love everything about this episode!! Please, yes, do many, many more! No recipe requests, just lots of encouragement. FN has been getting a bit predictable, but you are the breath of fresh air it needs. Thank you for doing this. :-)

Okay, this just occurred to me – I’d love to see an episode that focuses on your tricks, things like this post where the episode doesn’t focus on a recipe, but a technique or strategize you use to make something better/easier/fewer dishes, etc. I think that is something that will help make cooking more approachable to new cooks and will translate well to the shorter time format you are going for with YouTube videos.

Omg congrats, Deb! So exciting! As a twenty-something in SF who cooks predominantly for herself, your recipes and verbiage in your blogs are something I look forward to – and share with my friends and family. Even if I’m not looking for a recipe, I’ll still visit, because I find your blog to be comforting and relatable, and calming in moments of chaos :)

Deb,
You are incredible! SK is among my primary sources for recipes and solid food science (eg, your latest cookie post, thank you). I respect your refusal to take sponsored endorsements and instead use SK as a way to share your stories of food (MFK Fisher??). I also appreciate updates to old posts and your documentation of recipe experiments. With the advent of your show I hope to continue seeing real food and the real, charming you. No fuss, nothing crazy. Lastly, after reading your blog for years it’s really fun to put a face and voice to your name. All the best with your show!

Congratulations! Wow, I am so impressed. You are delightful. I love you even more now that I get to see who you are!! We are a family of 4 who live in a small NYC apt so I love that you are filming in your apartment. I am really looking forward to future episodes.

I’m legit in labor at the hospital and I saw this and gasped and worried my husband! I’m so excited for you (and more excited for me to get to see!) What do I want to see? Honest, genuine, hilarious Deb being you. Shots with your beautiful kiddos certainly don’t hurt!!!

I would like to see you do something on left-overs. Every good cook ends up with them. It would be fun to see a recipe made and then repurpose the left-overs for the following day’s meal. Left-overs are cost and time efficient and let’s face it ….they are real and under appreciated in the culinary world.

I am overjoyed for you, Deb, and for all of us who have been taught, inspired, and delighted by you over the years (that comment is to make you feel good, not old). Your sense of exploration and dedication to good food will help plan future episodes. In SK we trust! Congrats and can’t wait for more!

Love this! You are so charming, I love now having your voice in my head to read your witty posts in :) Your apartment does look amazing on camera, even Parisian with the balcony in the background. For some reason having the one plug in burner felt off to me though, like any viewer then knew something was up if you weren’t using your stove inches away. Total semantics really, but you asked for feedback :) I also echo others above that I’d love to see a baking video next, something quintessentially SM would be perfect to me!

I couldn’t be happier for you!
I can’t think of a person that desserts this more!
You are an amazing chef and such an engaging writer.
Most times I can convert your recipes to gluten and Dairy free… not all obviously, but some.
But if you have the inclination more stuff that can be converted wouldn’t go amiss.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipe for the 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies… I can’t do nuts so I make mine with sunbutter…. takes me back to a childhood of yummy warm soft cookies.
Thank you for all you do!

I think this is the first time I’ve ever commented but I have been reading for years so…
Firstly, congrats, this is so exciting. I hope this really takes off and you become super famous so you can tour the world and even visit here in South Africa so when people here get excited about your visit I will say ” oh Deb, yeah, I’ve known her for years”

Which brings me to the secondly part, in my head you sound like me, namely South African so hearing you speak with your American accent is a bit weird, its like I don’t know you at all ;)

Deb, Congratulations! Looking forward to the next installment! I’m Ann, the full time RV’er. Learning how to make pie crust in a tiny kitchen would be awesome!
Btw, your apple muffins are amazing! Thanks again for all your hard work.

Congratulations, Deb! Looking forward to watching your webisode when I leave work. Know it’ll be awesome because YOU are! As far as ideas for future webisodes, I like the idea of you focusing on whatever recipe captures your fancy, and you talking your way through tweaks that really elevate it from “yum” to the sublime…you know, your blog on video. :) Good luck!

I’m really excited for this :) I’d love to see you make some of your “Everest” recipes, like the lasagna bolognese. You always push me to be more fearless in my cooking, but there are some big projects I haven’t tackled and I think it might help to see the process.

Wonderful! I’m happy for you- and me..You are a natural, for sure. I also love this first recipe and I often make something very similar with leftover pasta.
If I would have one suggestion, it would be to tone down the music..I don’t think it adds anything, and I’d really rather hear you.:-)

Deb, you are so good on camera! You sound like you write (they should give you more time to rambling in) and you looked great. I couldn’t believe that was your famously tiny kitchen. I’d love to see you make a cake, but really whatever you’d enjoy would be best.

Deb! There you are on my computer talking to me out loud! I love it! I also love the behind the scenes scoop :) I am too late for this comment to count, I’m sure, but I’d love it if you did a recipe that has a tricky part like rolling or forming or something (like making the wontons for that soup, or rugelach shapes). Whatever you do, I know I’m going to love it. Thanks for keeping me in recipes and food eye candy!

Loved this, it was so fun to finally see what you are “like” in person and it was fun to see you cook in your own kitchen, partly because you talk so much about your kitchen in your posts! I think you did a fabulous job, it was very down to earth which made it easy to relate to, but still looked professionally polished. Brava!!

I would love to see you make your Lazy Pizza Dough and Margarita pizza. It is one of my FAVES (ok, one of my husbands absolute faves too) and I’d love to see you make it, especially how you get the dough to behave which is always a sticking point (pun intended) for me.

Made this last night, substituting bacon for the pancetta. It was delicious! Great as leftovers tonight. Food Network is lucky to have you in any capacity!! Loved the video, your personality really comes through (and of course, it’s super informative and true to your brand). Can’t wait to see the upcoming videos. Also liked the written recipe as well, but agree I missed your head notes! They always help me when I’m making your recipes.

Wow! Just wow! I’ve been keeping up with you since the good old days and was so excited to see this!!! Super, super cool to see an everyday foodie dishing it honest and straightforward from her teeny kitchen and catching an audience with a little further reach! Keeps us hopeful that our little endeavor will get noticed as well!!! You go, girl! So proud of and happy for you!

I vote for how to roast a whole chicken from beginning to end. I used to be a veggiesaurus, and I remain intimidated by properly handling chicken. I’d love your take on how to know when it’s done but not overcooked, how to cut it up without wasting a bunch of it, and finally how to make really good stock.

So fun!! What a great adventure. As a mom with a baby and toddler I would love to see dishes I can get on the table in around 30 minutes. I am open to new and old recipes. Been following you for years and have your book! I’m a big fan!

So excited for you, Deb! Your hard work including all of that careful testing and retesting has paid off! I’d love to see videos of recipes that are vegetarian or that can be modified to be made veg. One if the things I love about your blog is that it’s not insanely meat-centric like 97% of the others are. Good luck!

Hi Deb, I received your cookbook as a gift, and loved it immediately, and not just for the recipes. Your writing style is so witty and intelligent, and I loved that you included your home life. (Please produce another cookbook) I just happened to stumble upon your recent video on FoodNetwork and was thrilled. You are just as clever and charming in person, and it’s nice to have an alternative to watching Ina’s videos. The background music was a bit loud on the video, but I’m sure the kinks will be worked out for next time. How about a demonstration on one of your galettes?

you’re brave and beautiful and funny best of all not skinny. suprise us!!
your posts are always the best way to start my day. don’t let the bright lites and network types take you away from us. thanks and have fun with it.

Finally, a Food Network show that is NOT a competition but has someone actually cooking AND teaching as she goes. I use your recipes consistently, and you are as fun and real on camera as you are in writing, so I’d love to watch many more episodes.

How exciting for you, congrats! I can’t wait to watch!
I would love to see some food that we see at restaurants, but just not sure how to make so we can impress ourselves and guests! Some healthy options would be awesome too!

Made the Spaghetti Carbonara Pie last night and wish I had watched the video instead of just rushing through the recipe, which FYI did not list milk as among the ingredients to be whisked together. Yes, I did figure it out but though you might like to fix that. As for what I’d love to see on future Food Network episodes: Crusts (tarts and pies) and Breads (with braids) to watch the technique. Congrats on this great new chapter!

Yay! Yay! Yay! This is so exciting and very cool. And I would love to see you play with the archive- things you’ve changed over time to reflect new opinions, skills or taste adaptations- because isn’t that how we all cook?

Congratulations! This was very well done. You look beautiful, the food looks delicious, success! It was fun to see the traffic outside your window. It may have been hugely inconvenient to film this at home, but it was so authentic to watch. Even with the hot plate. 😉 It really felt like hanging out with a friend, sharing a recipe, a meal, a laugh. Looking forward to seeing more!

Congrats Deb! Your video totally shines on Food Network’s YouTube channel. I think you already noted that your video version was missing all of the awesome notes that come up in your written posts and printed recipes. Maybe the next few videos could have those added in post, VH1 Pop-up Video style with your lovely logo? Because for me, that’s what really makes your recipes heads above almost everything else out there. How to simplify, how to perfect, how not to worry!

I just made the Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones from your book last week, and a second batch with blueberries and cinnamon sugar, and knowing that the raspberries would not only break apart during mixing, but look lovely, totally took the stress of working with the dough away and brought a certain poetic, aesthetic joy to the whole process.

The only other critique of the video I would suggest is directed more to your editor. The video at times felt rushed, and other times too slow. The pacing just wasn’t too consistent throughout, like mixing slow motion cheese grating with real-time spaghetti pushing. I don’t think you should move to a format where all the ingredients are magically prepped ahead of time, because you give such awesome, practical tips on how to make the cooking process flow. Like reusing greens water for the pasta. Even so, the recipe was exceptionally clear and to the point.

So excited to watch you cook in person! My thoughts… Change the music, it was super annoying. Why aren’t you looking at us? It seems so odd that you’re only looking to your left. Love the small apartment because it’s so authentically you. Love your little one tasting with you at the end! Food Network – we need more, more, and more of Deb Perlman!

Deb!! Love this. Make the sesame scallion turkey meatballs, your sprinkle cookies, the caramel brioche bread pudding, your buttermilk baked chicken and one broccoli dish. I cook a lot and these are a few of my staples from you mainly because they fit multiple meal needs and everyone has enjoyed these recipes when I’ve prepared them. Congrats – food network 🎉

Loved it. And ps-your thick,chewy granola bars are my go-to to take to friends when they are in need of some home baking. Made them again this weekend. Turned out amazingly again. They’re my vote for your next video 🙂

So exciting!!! I was just saying to myself yesterday that I wish there was a Smitten Kitchen show on food network- like a New York version of Pioneer Woman without the cows! (With bodegas?) I kind of wish you had posted a bunch of episodes, so I could binge this. It was awesome!! Recommend doing an episode with your Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake- seriously one of my favorite recipes from the site (although the three bowls drive me a little crazy, so I don’t make it that often ;). I remember making that with my now husband in my tiny NYC apartment back when you first posted it. Or the whole lemon tart- I’ve always wanted to make that but it’s a bit daunting.

I’d love to see you make a weeknight dinner — without time lapse! preferably one a person can make from stuff they’re likely to have on hand. So, no fresh clams or whatever.
But really, anything you make would be worth watching, and cooking. I haven’t yet had a failure from your recipes. Good onya!!!

Your recipes and cooking style are brilliant. Your video debut on food network was outstanding. You ask for comments or ideas, I’ll leave the cooking to you but PLEASE please do not fall into that contrived sing song verbiage of other food network stars. EXAMPLE with pretentious musical emphasis on one or two words such as you SING and SPEAK (at the same time) ‘LOVE IT’ or ‘DE LELICIOUS.’ As far as I am concerned you are lovely just the way you are. Bottom line, I watch to visually digest a recipe. If I want to watch a soap, it won’t be on food tv. Mazel Tov and continued success!

I love the episode and especially the people in it!! The food looked great! But you’ll laugh when I tell you my reaction to your episode:
I read your description that you are “excruciatingly awkward,” so as the VoiceOver began…I thought to myself..”Ah, that’s how they convinced Deb to be in a series. They got a professional to do the VoiceOver!!!”
UNTIL you appeared and YOU were the voice!! You have a BEAUTIFUL voice for this! What happened to the excruciating awkwardness? Where did that go?
You were comfortable onscreen (yes, really!) and everything looked super! (Including your beautiful little bouncy-red-curled moppet.)
Can’t wait for the next episode! Please make a chocolate (what else?) dessert this time & then balance it with a salad afterwards.

Food ideas:
Bread – your whole wheat bread that has tons and tons of questions with it. I have made it at least 5 times and messed it up every one. A video would help so much!!! No, bread is not all that sexy, bit boy, would a video help!!

Pie, pie, any kind of pie. Or cake.

Drinks!! Especially mocktails, since those are so easily forgotten for those who can’t imbide.

Sheet pan dishes. So much less clean-up than others!

Any of your “wow, this is vegetarian?!” Options.

And yeah, why not a blast from the past main that is so often used and could use a little attention. :-)

So excited for this! I kind of wrote off FN for the last couple of years (especially when they started making 25 versions of DDD), but I will certainly check your show out!! Congratulations!

I’d love to see you whip up some quick one-pot dinners for this series:) My two cents on cooking videos is that baking is so precise and recipe-driven, I don’t need to see someone measuring and mixing. I’d love to see some “looser” entree recipes that leave room for interpretation and creativity, and watch you put your magic spin on things!

You look and sound great! Thank you for going out of your comfort zone to film this; I look forward to more.
I too had a crew in my kitchen once and it was quite the experience. Back in 2014, I agreed to participate in a series for my local newspaper. I offered to teach their lifestyle reporter how to bake challah and basic boule. It was only when the crew of 4 was due to arrive that I realized two things; I desperately needed a shower, and, my kitchen was horribly ugly. I did not have time to remedy either issue, sadly, lol.

Deb I love your blog and your recipes are practically all divine. Exciting to see your kitchen and you (you were great). Now that I’ve said all that positive stuff… the Food Network show was a bit irritating because of the LOUDNESS of the frantic background music. Please turn it down for next show?
Oops just read other comments below and see I’m not alone!

I loved this! You were great — just as knowledgeable and helpful as I imagined. And I didn’t think you looked pink till you mentioned it — so — shush!

I would love to see you make one of your cakes, like a pistachio one I tried several years ago . . . or cookies. But whatever you do I know it will be a hit. Thanks for going to all this trouble for your fans. Oh, and you have a great speaking voice for this project. Good job all around!

Wow! How fabulous to see and hear you – though, of course, you aren’t at all like the Deb of my mind. I will probably still have the Deb of my mind when I read your posts but I’ll definitely check out the Deb not of my mind every chance I get too! I could use slightly different music – not sure what but that would be my only complaint – it was a bit too cool and jazzy for moi. Is it music you chose? If yes, then ignore that remark. If no, why not? The spaghetti pie looks great and I will make it – don’t have what I need right now. Will not have real pancetta but luckily the local bacon in Labrador is really fantastic and we get it in huge slabs. I don’t have any milk right now but I will by Wednesday so will make it then. Yum.

I like the idea of using what is fresh at your market for a spring show and something that is a one pot meal for those of us who are looking to make a meal quickly For the whole family. Good luck with the next shoot! It was fun to get to see and hear you in person.
‘

I would like to see you cook with your little boy. Make something with him after school that is quick and fun for him to eat so he is proud of his skill and shows that cooking is fun. Then I will share the program with my nephew who is a budding cook!

You are too cute Deb! And I love that you sound EXACTLY how I’d imagine your blogger/writer voice would sound, very welcoming and down to earth. I consider all the ramblings and asides to be Pro Tips, and the recipes would not be the same without them. :) Please do more of these! I would love to see entrees but anything would be great.

This is so exciting! Good luck with the series. I’ve been a follower of yours for years (since at least 2009) and your blog is one of my go-tos when I’m looking to make something I’ve never tried to make before. :)

Oh! That was wonderful. I love that your narrating style sounded just like your writing style here on the blog. You’re so delightfully you! I don’t eat meat and am allergic to cheese and I still enjoyed the hell out of that episode.

For future videos: at least one *has* to be cookies, right? Please? Pretty please, with a macaron on top?

Loved the segment and loved seeing you with your little one. All us harried mom’s and dad’s totally empathize and applaud you for going for it! It’s scary, exhilarating and rewarding. (plus I’ve been dying to make that recipe, just haven’t gotten MY act together.)
Please do agree to do more. Your favorites!

LOVED THIS! congrats and the episodes and love that you are doing in your own kitchen! I would love to see you make your hazelnut millifiore cake – I made this and it took me 6 hours or even the cookies you use for the icebox cake, would love to see that! Love your blog, cookbook and now your webisodes!

Nice job!! You come across kind of like a Jewish Nigella and I love that!! About the recipe, have you ever made it without the pancetta? (can’t mix meat and dairy in my house ….. and yeah, also no pork ;-) )

This is the coolest! Would it be rude to say that I don’t care how nervous you are… I want to see a Smitten Kitchen show on the Food Network so suck it up and deal with it? I’ve got fingers crossed and as for recipe suggestions – every single recipe I’ve made of yours rocks so I’ll go with whatever you decide.

Four happy people enjoyed spaghetti carbonara pie this evening! I didn’t have as much pancetta as the recipe called for and it was fine. It could have handled even more broccoli rabe and still been delicious. The recipe has milk on the ingredient list but not the instructions – I assumed it is whisked with the eggs and the cheese.

Hi again – made this last night and it was a huge success with me and my fella! He made a salad and we said in unison “Winner!!!”. My crappy cake pan did leak so was very glad of the tinfoil thingy. I used our great bacon (comes in big slabs and is so darn good), a bit of chopped up bok choy and half a container of spinach. I used parmigiana and a very good kick-ass cheddar. Yummo. Thanks again and I loved listening to your voice while I put it together.

Congratulations! I’ve been reading your blog since 2010 and have loved every single recipe of yours that I’ve ever tried (which is many of them), especially the cakes and cookies. Dough for your browniest cookies is currently chilling in the fridge. As for feedback on the episode, yes, please do more! Either old or new recipes would be great, but I would love to see you do one of your more complicated recipes. It would be so helpful to watch you roll out and assemble a decorative pie dough or shape ravioli or assemble one of your many layered cakes.

You should be very proud of yourself! I’m so glad I got to see the episode and I hope to see all of them. You go ! I love reading your top notes about the recipe and some small highlights about your life as well. Thank you for sharing! I would love it if they made you a series star and gave you 30 minutes!

Deb- I just love this!! Bravo. You are every bit as charming on camera as you sound in your writing. So fun to be able to watch you in action, in your real life kitchen (well, kind of real life lol)
I would love to see some bread making!! I have tried and failed at challah bread repeatedly, and would just love to watch it done!

I would love to see some recipes that make great lunches. We don’t own a microwave, so while the spaghetti pie looks DELICIOUS, I can’t fathom how I’d reheat it without ending up with a pile of formerly spaghetti sticks.

oh my gosh, I didn’t view the video, as I was too nervous (for you). I was looking for a recipe, couldn’t find it on SK & my travels took me to Food Network. There was the Famous Spaghetti Pie, Bigger than the whole PAGE! (Bigger than Bobby Flay’s face, that’s saying something). I clicked to start. You are so natural, just like you write. The little one is even cuter in person. I had to stop the video to tell you all this, because I had tears of happiness for you & your family. I’m floored. Keep it up! Xoxo

I say I was floored, as so few great talents transition successfully from one medium to another. I didn’t read many of the Comments or the Back Story to the Video, just in case (you know ;-) But not saying anymore, don’t want to jinx things. Best to all.

food network has gone down the drain in recent years. i am happy to to see that they are coming to their senses and bringing in talent like you. how exciting!!!! i might actually start watching again. congratulations.

I loved the video. It was funny you didn’t notice they moved your frig, that sounds like something I would do. I feel like this recipe is similar to something I made from your site that my family wasn’t wild about. You have to make cake because it’s your thing.

I love it! Congratulations. Weird though, I now have to change your voice in my head! Not that much, I knew you’d sound classy, it’s just a little bit different than the one I’ve given you, lol. You did great, Deb. Looking forward to more episodes!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the show – so excited for you!!!!! I’m chiming-in so after the fact, but still wanted to share my two bits. It may have already been suggested, so sorry if repeating, that your show be a live version of your blog. Cooking those things that are near and dear to you – favorites of family and friends…
I think one of the reasons for the success of your blog & cookbooks is that you are just sharing who you are and that works (and so beautifully too)!
All the very best to you, Deb & family : )

This is great; thanks for the invite to your kitchen and can’t wait for more. Would love to see some of the archived recipes (which I use all the time) on video along with new ones. I’m also a compact city kitchen cook so it’s fun to see yours.

I was looking for a recipe on Food Network’s site and you popped up in the side bar. I was like “OMG!!!11 When did this happen??” Realized I haven’t visited in a few weeks. Great to see you on video doing your thing. Keep ’em coming.

I’m a huge fan – I have been reading your blog since the beginning and of course have your cookbook. I was greatly disappointed in 2012 when I had tickets to one of your book signings in Chicago and couldn’t go at the last minute because my brother manufactured a family crisis (sigh). Now I’m afraid that with this video series you will achieve such star status that you will forever be beyond the reach of us mortals! I will watch anyway – loved it and hope they make more! Congratulations!

So awesome!!! You (and your daughter) are adorable. I would love to see a cookie recipe or biscuits or pie. It seems that all of those types of recipes really benefit from seeing the product mixed together. But, honestly, I’d watch any of your shows – so much fun!!

My own never fail to is situated at the end of your listing and will not include while i place as it does for other people, on the other hand on my own friend’s sites they may have provided me with their journal moves. Is that this a preparing that I have to alter or maybe this an alternative they have generated? .

I made it – it was delicious! I forgot about it once in the oven so it was a little dry because I left it in too long. Here are my suggestions: more pancetta and ricotta cheese, because you can never have too much cheese. I’m going to try again – hopefully without spilling the milk and eggs all over the floor (yes I did that this time). Thanks a bunch – I love your blog!

Wow so cool! Congratulations! I’ve been a fan of your blog since 2007 and so happy for you. You really seem like a natural on camera and I would totally tune into your Food Network show. The only show I like on the Food Network is The Barefoot Contessa. I think you will do really well and hope they get you to do more! :)

Deb–
Congrats. That video came out nicely, and your personality bubbled throughout. I would have one suggestion, the jazzy background music was nice but the volume was distracting and too loud. Tell them to tone it down, it detracts from you. Best of luck. FoodTV needs much more cooking content and much less reality shows and competitions.

I can’t wait to watch! Would it possible for you to say where you found the cute little hutch you’re standing in front of in the blue dress? I’ve been looking for something exactly like that! Also, I’d love to see you make your cabbage rolls!

It’s not little (or at least not for this little apartment!) but it was mango wood something and we bought it (it’s two pieces, top and bottom) at Crate and Barrel maybe 8 years ago. They don’t have it anymore but they have others similar perhaps. Oh, and it weighs a ton.

OMG!!! That was awesome! It was the craziest experience to hear your voice and see your kitchen in action! Been following you for at least the last 11 years (though I rarely post) and I feel like somehow I just got to meet you I actually teared up! Lol ok maybe that’s the crazy pregnancy hormones talking, but serious Deb so happy for you and so excited there will be more episodes to come! :D Oh and as far as what we want to see more of–you can cook anything! New recipe, old recipe… it really doesn’t matter they’re all delicious, the real reason I keep coming back to your website is for YOU! I love how much your personality shines through your writing, so if I had my way we’d get to see more of that because you are fun, witty, inspiring and just plain brilliant! xoxo

I am so happy about this! I have followed your blog on and off for years (I commented maybe once prior – about irish soda bread waaaaay back) and we NEED new cooking show hosts. This is awesome. Will be watching :)

If it’s not too late for suggestions for future episodes, I think it would be really fun to see you make the homemade pita bread. I’ve been making it regularly for a while now, and it’s still magical to watch them puff like balloons!

You are so wonderful, which is why I’ve been following your blog for years and years. And now your great humor and engaging way of writing/speaking—not to mention that smile and twinkle in your eye—make you just as wonderful to watch! Great transition to tv and thank you for putting yourself out there! I can’t wait for more.

First, thank you. There are more recipes? I must have missed that. We filmed four more short episodes this spring and I think they’re finishing editing them, like, right now so hopefully they’ll be out soon. I promise to keep you posted. :)

I am so happy to meet you “in person.) As a fellow New Yorker, I sympathize with the small space blues.
Love the spaghetti carbonara. I would love to see more simple entré dishes. Also, Vegetarian dishes that can be main dishes. I have one daughter who is a life long vegetarian, one who does not eat fish and one daughter who is a great cook and who introduced me to your website a long time back.
Congrats on the Food Network series and also I love your new book!

Congrats!!! I hv been reading your blog and cooking with your recipes for a long time. You deserve every success. I would love for you to have a home cooking series on PBS. About to put cookie dough together for your maple sugar cookies…our favorite. I shape a log with the dough and leave in fridge until I feel like baking. Then I slice and bake when I have time. Not as pretty as when the dough is rolled and cookies are cut out but they taste 👍. Happy Holidays!!!